gamification

Have you heard about gamification? It’s using game mechanisms in other fields.

So, I’ve been thinking that I could use games to improve my motivation and achieve goals I set. I found sites like habitRPG and a few apps but I expected something different.
Now I play my inner game: “If you do this and this and this today, you’ll get a reward” (and it works quite well), but I’m looking for something more complex.

If you’re willing to grind for hours in some game, for pointless bonuses in a fictional nonsense world, they of course you should be willing to do it in real life for real rewards. Better stats, better gear, new challenges to face.

The creator of The Sims, and Simcity, etc. is working on a new project. Actually combining game play with individual realities. There’s a newer article talking about it in this months WIRED, but here’s an older interview:

He says in Wired that he wants it to be whatever the individual wants it to be. Entertainment, an introspective tool, career advancement, a social application, etc.

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“It blurs entertainment, lifestyle, and personal tools,” Wright said. “With that data, the world and the opportunities for entertainment within it become more visible to you.”
“If we can learn enough about the player, we can create games about their real life,” Wright said. “How do we get you more engaged in reality rather than distract you from it?”

The inspiration for this game also came in part from researchers who are talking about “a quantified self,” where they gather everything about their life and behavior and store it in digital form.

@hedone, You could keep a journal of your life’s “skill points.” For instance, maybe you can’t cook, so your cooking skill would be a level one. But every time you spend the time to learn how to cook something new, you could gain experience in cooking or add a level to your cooking skill. Keeping these records of your skills in certain fields could provide you with motivation to always be improving yourself.